U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,159 discloses a child-resistant closure and container package that includes a container or vial, a closure, and a spring element and a seal disk disposed between the closure and the container. The closure has lugs on an inside surface of a skirt to cooperate with external locking notches on projections around the mouth of the container for securing the closure to the container. An internal abutment on the closure cooperates with the spring element to urge the closure away from the container so that the lugs are resiliently captured within the notches, and to hold the seal disk in engagement with the open edge of the container surrounding the container mouth. When it is desired to remove the closure, the closure must be pushed toward the container so that the lugs clear the notches against the force of the spring element, and then turned counterclockwise. When the closure is assembled to the container, the lugs cam beneath convex surfaces on the projections against the force of the spring element until the lugs snap into the notches on the projections. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,059,198 and 4,485,932 disclose child-resistant closure and container packages in which the functions of the spring element and the seal disk are combined in a single piece, thus forming a package in the form of a three-piece assembly rather than a four-piece assembly.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a closure and container package, a closure and a container for use in such a package, and a method of making such a package, in which the package is a two-piece package comprised of the closure and the container. Another and related object of the invention is to provide a closure and container package, a closure and a container for use in such a package, and a method of making such a package in which the closure is adapted to be secured to the container in either a child-resistant or a non-child-resistant mode of operation.
The present invention embodies a number of different aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a child-resistant closure and container package includes a container having an open end surrounded by a cylindrical wall with a central axis, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending radially outwardly from an outer surface of the wall adjacent to the open end, notches on undersides of the projections, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible resilient spring elements extending radially outwardly from the outer surface of the cylindrical wall and angularly disposed between the projections. A closure includes a base wall, a cylindrical skirt extending from the base wall to an axial edge spaced from the base wall, a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs extending radially inwardly from the skirt, and a circumferentially continuous annular wall extending axially from the base wall coaxial with and spaced radially inwardly from the skirt. The axial edge of the skirt is adapted for axial edge abutment with the spring elements on the container to urge the lugs axially into the notches, with the annular wall being in internal plug-sealing engagement with the open end of the container. Removal of the closure requires axial movement of the closure against the spring elements and rotation of the closure to move the lugs out of the notches and clear the projections.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a closure and container package having child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation. A container has an open end surrounded by a cylindrical wall with a central axis, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending radially outwardly from an outer surface of the wall adjacent to the open end and notches on undersides of the projections. A plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible resilient flat spring elements extend radially outwardly from the outer surface of the container wall in a plane perpendicular to the container axis on an opposite side of the projections from the open end. The flat spring elements are angularly disposed between the projections on the container wall. An internal bead extends around the open end of the container. A closure includes a base wall, a cylindrical skirt extending from a peripheral edge of the base wall to an axial edge spaced from the base wall, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs extending radially inwardly from the skirt. A hollow dome extends axially from the base wall in a direction opposite from the skirt. The dome has an annular sidewall spaced radially inwardly from the peripheral edge of the base wall, and a bead extends radially outwardly from the annular wall at a position spaced from the base wall. A circumferentially continuous annular wall extends axially from the base wall coaxially with and spaced radially inwardly from the skirt. The closure is adapted to be secured to the container in a child-resistant mode of operation with the axial edge of the skirt in axial edgewise engagement with the spring elements to urge the lugs axially into the notches and with the annular wall in internal plug-sealing engagement with the open end of the container. The closure is adapted to be secured to the container in a non-child-resistant mode of operation with the dome received within the open end of the container and the bead on the dome received by snap fit over the internal bead on the cylindrical wall of the container.
A closure of one-piece plastic construction in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention includes a base wall, a cylindrical skirt extending from the base wall to an axial edge spaced from the base wall, a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs extending radially inwardly from the skirt, and a circumferentially continuous annular wall extending axially from the base wall coaxially with and spaced radially inwardly from the skirt. The closure preferably, but not necessarily, additionally includes a dome having an annular sidewall spaced radially inwardly from the peripheral edge of the base wall, and a bead extending radially outwardly from the annular wall at a position spaced from the base wall.
A container of one-piece plastic construction in accordance with another aspect of the present invention has an open end surrounded by a cylindrical wall with a central axis, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending radially outwardly from an outer surface of the wall adjacent to the open end, notches on undersides of the projections, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible resilient spring elements extending radially outwardly from the outer surface of the wall and angularly disposed between the projections. The spring elements preferably but not necessarily are flat, lie in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the container and are disposed on a side of the projections opposite from the end of the container. The container preferably, but not necessarily, additionally includes an internal bead around the open end of the container.